Dump-car.



. PATENTBD JAN. 24, 1905. H. s. HART & G. B. MALTBY.

DUMP CAR.

7 APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1903.

2 SHEETB-BHBET 1.

ll] I No. 780,747 'PATENTED JAN. 24, 1905. H. s. HART & e. B. MALTBY.

DUMP GAR.

'APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 1a, 1903.

inn:

lIllllilllllllllllllllllfl m n u ll UNITED STATES HARRY STILLSON HART AND GEORGE B. MALTBY, OF CHICAGO, ILLI- Patented January 24, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

NOIS, ASSIGNORS TO NATIONAL COAL DUMP CAR COMPANY, OF RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPO- RATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

DUMP-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 780,747, dated January 24, 1905.

Application filed March 16, 1903. Serial No. 148,092.

-cars which is provided with drop bottoms viz., a bottom portion formed of a plurality of swinging doors-and particularly to the means by which the doors which form the drop-bottom are opened and closed, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a drop-bottom dump-car with simple,

economical, and efficient mechanism for opening and closing the swinging door thereof.

The invention consists principally in a clumpcar provided with a supporting-frame, a dropbottom formed of a plurality of swinging doors secured to the supporting-frame, and rolling mechanism adapted to contact such swinging doors to close and hold the same in closed position. w

The invention consists,further-and finally,i the features, combinations, and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a cross-sectional elevation of a car constructed in accordance with these improvements; Fig. 2, a plan view of a portion of the under side of a car, showing the swinging-door mechanism in closed. position; Fig. 3, a similar view showing the closing mechanism and swinging doors in opened position; and Fig.4, a longitudinal sectional elevation of a portion of the car, taken on line 4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

In the art to which this invention relates it is well known tha't one of the serious problems confronting the manufacturer and user of drop-bottom dump-cars is the means for opening and closing the dumping-doors.

The principal object, therefore, of this invention is to provide a car. of such construction and arrangement that the doors may be opened and closed and held in closed position withthe least possible danger to the closing mechanism or the dumping of'the load while in transit, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear.

, In illustrating and describing these improvements we have only illustrated and described that which we consider to be new, taken in connection with so much as is old as will properly disclose the invention to others and enable those skilled in the art to practice the same, leaving out of consideration other and well-known features, which, if shown and described herein, would only tend to confusion, proliXity, andambiguity.

In constructing a car in accordance with these improvements we provide a framework having a multiplicity of longitudinal center sills a, deck-beams 6, side boards 0, end boards d, and posts f and g, which hold the side and end boards, respectively, in position, all of which may be constructed in any usual or well-known manner. As above stated, this car is a dump-car, and the dumping portion is composed of a dropbottom formed of a plurality of swinging doors 7L, pivoted at their inner edges to the framework of the carand to each side of its longitudinal center, sothat when opened, as shown particularly in Fig. 1, they, in connection with a centrally-located A-shaped apex portion a, which also extends longitudinally of the car, form an inclined bottom portion from the longitudinal center to a point, outside of the car-wheels to automatically discharge freight therein to either or both sides of the usual railway-track.

It becomes important in this type of car to provide some mechanism which will not only close the doors and permit them to be opened when necessary, but which will also hold them firmly in their closed position, bearing the brunt of the load therein in such manner that there is very little danger of destruction to such mechanism or of permitting the load to be discharged prematurely. In order to ac I complish this result, the under portion of each of these doors is provided with an inclined projecting portion 7, against which rolling mechanism 7c may impinge, as shown particularly in Fig. 1. As the rolling mechanism impinges against the inclined portion of the open door it acts to close the same, and passing out under the fiat portion thereof, as shown in Fig. 1, it holds the door in closed position, all or the major portion of the load being supported thereby. This rolling mechanism is formed of a plurality of grooved rolls, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4, mounted upon and so as to be rotated by a square operating-shaft Z, which extends the entire length of the car and beyond the frame thereof, so that it may be engaged by a socket or other wrench and rotated. Each of these rolls is grooved at m, as above suggested, the groove being substantially V-shaped, and such groove portion is supported upon a diamondshaped track in, which in turn is secured to the proper deck-beam in an efficient manner. In this way the rolling mechanism is permitted to move along thereon and at the desired time support the major portion of the weight of the load.

It will be seen from an examination of the drawings that it is necessary to provide some means which will compel the rolls as they are rotated on their respective tracks to move along thereon and not slip, as they possibly might when the doors are being opened or closedin other Words, to assist the rolling mechanism in the performance of its functions. To accomplish this, a plurality of chain mechanisms 19 is provided, composed of ordinary link-chains, which are secured to the drum portions qof the rolling mechanisms, so as to be wound therearound and unwound therefrom. The other ends of the chains, there being two sets to each set of rolling mechanisms, are secured to the framework of the car, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2. As the rolling mechanisms are rotated one set of chains is wound therearound, while the other set is being unwound. The set of chains that is being wound around the portion of the rolling mechanisms assists and compels them to move in the direction of the fixed points of the chains, thus bringing a greater force into action against the projecting portions of the swinging doors and materially assisting the rolling mechanisms in their functions of closing the doors.

WVe claim 1. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame, a drop-bottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging doors pivotally secured to the supportingframe, projecting portions thereon, and rolling mechanism adapted to contact the projecting portions on the swinging doors to close and hold the same in their closed position, substantially as described.

2. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame, a drop-bottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging doors pivotally secured to the supportingframe, inclined portions on the under side of such swinging doors, and rolling mechanism adapted to contact the inclined portions on the doors to close and hold the same in their closed position, substantially as described.

3. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-frame, a drop-bottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging doors pivotally secured to the frame at their inner ends and at each side of the longitudinal center of the car, inclined projections on the under side of such swinging doors, and rolling mechanism adapted to contact the inclined projections on the swinging doors to close such doors and hold them in their closed position, substantially as described.

4:. In a car of the class described, the com bination of a supporting-frame, a drop-bottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging doors pivotally secured to the frame, rolling mechanism adapted to contact such doors to close and hold the same in their closed position, and chain mechanism engaging the rolling mechanism and secured to the framework of the car to assist the rolling mechanism in its movements for the opening and closing of the swinging doors, substantially as described,

5. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-framework, a drop bottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging doors pivotally secured to the framework of the car, inclined projections on the under side of such doors, roll mechanism to contact the inclined projections and close the doors, a track upon which such rolling mechanism is movably mounted, and chain mechanism secured to the rolling mechanism and to the frame of the car to assist such rolling mechanism in its operations, substantially as described.

6. In a car of the class described, the combination of a supporting-framework, a dropbottom therefor formed of a plurality of swinging doors pivotall y secured to the framework of the car at or near their inner edges and at each side of the longitudinal center of the car, inclined projections on the under portions of such doors, a plurality of grooved rolls provided with and mounted on operating-shaft mechanism to contact the inclined projections on the swinging doors, close the same and hold them in their closed position, track mechanism on which the grooved por tion of the rolling mechanism is movably mounted, and chain mechanism secured to the frame of the car and to the rolling mechanism so as to be wound therearound and assist such roll mechanisms in their operation, substantially as described.

7 In a car of the class described, the comanisms extending laterally in each direction therefrom and secured to the framework of the car so that While one set of chain mechanisms is being unwound the other set is being Woundtherearound to assist such rolling mechanisms in their operations, substantially as described.

HARRY STILLSON HART. GEORGE BVMALTBY.

Witnesses:

THOMAS F. SHE IDAN, HARRY I. ORoMER. 

